Culmination
by Lesingnon Bladewind
Summary: A hero’s life is never easy, especially when his future shapes him even before his birth. But he shall rise above it, and so much more. For he is a savior, a legend, a culmination. And above all else…he is hope.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But if I did, oh the possibilities…**

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become one himself."  
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Kushina sighed in relief as the seashore finally came into view. She was the last of the Uzumaki Clan, not counting the new life growing inside of her, and that only made her more determined to uphold its traditions. The seaside cottage that she was now looking down upon was an old one, predating the First Great Shinobi War. It was said to be the home of the founder of the Uzumaki Clan. The place had become an important symbol, and a closely guarded secret. For it had become tradition that whenever an Uzumaki became pregnant she would visit the cottage and stay there for a while, bringing the child to his roots before he was even born.

She stood there for a long moment as the familiar pain of loss washed over her. Her clan, along with the Whirlpool Village, had been destroyed. Actually vanished was a better description. She had journeyed to Konoha to visit Minato-kun. When she came back, the rocky peninsula that had housed her village was gone. She had even used a powerful Suiton Jutsu to visit the sea floor, but had been unable to locate the ruins of her home.

She had been devastated for a long while, much as would be expected from one who'd lost so much. Gradually however, she'd been able to work her way through it. Her passion for life, and love for Minato, was simply too great for any tragedy to overcome. She gained control of her grief in time, and threw herself into life with renewed vigor. She'd married Minato, and then gotten pregnant. That energized her more than anything. She wouldn't be the last of her clan for long, and the Uzumakis would live on in blood if not by name. Her determination and hopes for the future banishing her grief, Uzumaki Kushina squared her shoulders and resumed her trek to the cottage below.

She felt a rising current of emotion as she approached the cottage, but dismissed it as excitement. It wasn't until she entered the cottage that she realized that something was amiss, that danger was afoot. Her hand twitched towards the katana at her hip, but she felt something sharp plunge into her neck before her hand even covered a fraction of the distance to the hilt. She caught a hint of pale skin, black hair, and golden eyes. Then her legs buckled as she fell into blissful unconsciousness.

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The Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Saito was beginning to get worried. Kushina had been gone two months now, two months when she'd told him only to expect her to be away for one. He had deferred to her wishes for now. She was as stubbornly independent as anyone he had ever met; and she'd insisted that this tradition of hers was a solo journey, one that he was not to interfere in. But he was only willing to concede so much, and now his mind was made up. Namikaze Minato disappeared from the Hokage's Office in a flash of yellow light.

He reappeared with another yellow flash, and took in all the important details of his surroundings at the very moment of his appearance. The kunai hissed through the air as he pulled it from his holster and swung in one fluid motion. Then the room became utterly still. Orochimaru stood ten feet away, where he had landed after leaping backwards to avoid Minato's slash. A few strands of Orochimaru's black hair drifted to the ground as Minato took in the rest of his surroundings.

He was in a windowless room constructed entirely of stone. Kushina was lying next to him on a cot, and there were several trays of medical instruments lying nearby. Various other pieces of medical equipment were spread throughout the room, leaving little doubt as to what Orochimaru had been using the room for. Minato fixed his wrathful gaze upon the Snake Sannin, and when he spoke; his voice was filled with tightly controlled rage. "To think that you could sink so low Orochimaru, kidnapping my pregnant wife."

Orochimaru's customary grin spread across his face, "Your view point is rather narrow-minded for a Hokage Minato-kun. It is easy to denounce the means when the end is not known."

Minato practically growled in anger as he threw the kunai. "I'm in no mood for your lies!"

Orochimaru moved practically before Minato did, his foot sliding forward to make contact with a ring of seals etched into the floor. A purple barrier sprang into existence almost immediately, stopping the kunai cold and melting it into molten slag. "While I believed I had gotten rid of all the seals on Kushina, I was hardly unprepared for your appearance Minato-kun. This is a new barrier I've developed, and nothing can hope to pass through it intact. Not even your vaunted Rasengan can hope to penetrate it. You should be grateful though. Your son is the culmination, of all that can be offered by both Konoha and myself. He has the potential to be the greatest shinobi this world has ever known."

Minato's eyes narrowed slightly as he rested his hand on the sleeping form of Kushina. "Someday, Orochimaru, you will pay for your crimes. And I can only hope that I'm there to see it." Then both the Yondaime and his wife were gone in a yellow flash.

Orochimaru stood there for a long time, staring at the space once occupied by Uzumaki Kushina and her unborn child. "You had better hope, Minato-kun, that he grows to fulfill his potential completely."

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Minato reappeared in the lobby of a hospital, his sudden appearance alongside a beautiful redhead causing quite the stir. He acted quickly, before too much of a commotion could be raised. He glanced across the room, and the receptionist felt the full focus of her Hokage fixate upon her like a spotlight. "Take her to intensive care; I need her placed under careful medical observation. If there's _any_ anomaly I want to hear about it immediately."

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

"Good, and thank you." Minato disappeared with another flash of yellow. This time he reappeared in his office, already biting his thumb and running through a short series of seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

There was a puff of smoke as a small, elderly toad appeared atop Minato's desk. "Minato-chan, what do you need me for?"

"I'm sorry for disturbing you Fukasaku-sama, but I need to speak to Jiraiya immediately. There aren't many toads he'll accept a reverse Kuchiyose from unconditionally."

"I understand." Jiraiya appeared in a burst of smoke a scant second later. He had a dish of sake in his hand, and his posture suggested that he'd been leaning on a bar or something of similar height. Of course, without that support the slightly inebriated Jiraiya collapsed into a heap on the ground.

Jiraiya sat up quickly, preparing to complain about being pulled away from the bar at the worst possible time. He stopped though, as he saw the look on Minato's face. He'd taught the kid, and knew him as well as anybody. And he could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen him this serious. The Toad Sage rose to his feet, suddenly all business. "What is it?"

"Sensei, do you know where Tsunade is?"

"Yeah."

"I need you to bring her back here as soon as possible, use Gamabunta to help you cover the distance if you have to."

Jiraiya frowned, "Kid, you know her views of Konoha at the moment; she's not going to take being brought back here kindly."

Minato grimaced, looking out over the village entrusted in his care. "Orochimaru kidnapped Kushina. I don't know if he held her for two months or a day, but either way it's far too long for my comfort. Someone needs to run a full check up on her, and there's no one I trust to do it more than Tsunade."

Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly in shock. Then he carefully schooled his expression to hide the familiar surge of emotions brought about by the mere mention of his ex-teammate, and the worry he felt for Minato and his fiancé. "I'll have her here within a day." With that, Jiraiya disappeared in a swirl of smoke and leaves.

Jiraiya was true to his word, and Gamabunta brought the Toad Sage and the Slug Princess back to Konoha at around noon the next day. Tsunade wasted little time in storming through the village until she reached the Hokage's office where Minato was waiting for her. "Why did you bring me back here? Jiraiya said it was urgent, but refused to offer any more details outside the security of Konoha."

Minato sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Orochimaru kidnapped Kushina, and the brief conversation I had with him when I retrieved her gave me reason to believe that he experimented on my son." He paused for a moment, drawing in a deep breath. "I know that examinations of unborn children are dangerous, but we're dealing with Orochimaru and I have to know what he did. You're the only one I trust to examine my son."

The tightening of Tsuande's features didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room; Orochimaru remained a sensitive subject for her as well. "I'll do it."

Tsunade spent four hours with Kushina in an operating room for a procedure she refused to let anybody watch. Immediately after finishing she took several samples to a lab and locked herself in. She stayed in there for two days. As soon as her tests were done she brought a folder full of papers to the Hokage's office; where she was hardly surprised to see Jiraiya, Minato, and Sarutobi-sensei waiting for her. She sighed, opening her folder as she began speaking. "During my examination I found nothing wrong with either Kushina or the fetus. Knowing Orochimaru's tendency for genetic experimentation though, I decided to take several samples from both Kushina and the fetus. I compared Kushina's genetic structure to previous records and found that absolutely nothing had changed, so he didn't do anything to her. The samples from the fetus though," she set the opened folder down on the table, "this couldn't have been natural."

The other three shinobi took turns reading the file, and despite being S-class shinobi none of them were able to hide the shock on their features. It was Hiruzen who broke the silence. "Are you sure?"

Tsunade slumped down in a chair, nodding. "Yes, I lost count of how many times I ran the genetic tests. I am absolutely certain that what you're reading is correct."

Minato looked at her with an expression full of disbelief, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "I didn't even know that such…extensive genetic manipulation was possible."

"I didn't know that it was possible either, and I'm a Medic. Orochimaru always has been able to surprise us, as twisted as he may be."

Everyone sat quietly for another few minutes before Minato spoke. "What you've all seen here is an SS-Class Secret. It is not to be revealed to anybody without express permission from me or in the case of my death, my successor. You would, of course, be able to tell him or her."

Jiraiya sighed, glancing down at the folder once more. "Are you going to tell Kushina?"

"Yes. She knows Orochimaru kidnapped her and has heard plenty about him. She has to assume that the snake did something…and I won't hide it from her."

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The night was October 10th, and a heavy oppressive feeling hung in the air. It was so intense that even untrained civilians could feel it, and several of whom were driven to hysteria. The great Kyuubi no Kitsune was approaching Konoha, even as its shinobi died like flies while trying to fight it. They may not have been able to kill it, or even hurt it; but they could delay it. They knew they couldn't stop the beast but they sold their lives anyway, because they knew the Yondaime could. He hadn't told them anything to that effect, but they knew it just the same. He was the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha's Yellow Flash. He was the greatest shinobi, the greatest Hokage, the greatest man Konoha had ever known. No matter what happened he would be able to protect Konoha. The shinobi under his command knew this with the certainty of faith, and so they laid down their lives without hesitation to buy him time.

Minato was in his office. It had been cleared of all its usual furnishings, left completely bare except for a simple wooden crib set up in the middle of the room. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya were there as well, both wearing solemn expressions as they watched Minato covering the room with an extraordinarily complicated array of seals. Sarutobi sighed; wishing he had his pipe that Minato had expressly forbade him from bringing into the office. Apparently it may have thrown off the delicate balance required for the seals. "Fate has truly been unkind to this boy. Being the focus of Orochimaru's twisted madness and now this."

Minato paused for a moment from his kneeling position on the ceiling, the last of his seals finally completed. "I know, but I can't rightly ask anyone to make this sacrifice. Besides…if Orochimaru's experiments were a success than Naruto will be uniquely suited to containing the Kyuubi."

"Or the conflicting chakras could destroy the boy."

Minato closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to compose himself. "All of the research I've done, and everything you know shows that that's a highly unlikely scenario. And in sealing a power of this magnitude…the chance that something could go wrong is always present."

Jiraiya spoke for the first time since entering the room. "Look kid, I understand your reasons to use Naruto for this. But with all the adversity he'll face he shouldn't have to grow up without his father. You know that either of us would gladly take your place."

"No…no. As the Hokage it is my duty to go through with this. Besides, using this jutsu on a demon complicates the sealing procedure. There wouldn't be enough time to make sure you fully understood the adjustments. Remember, neither of you can be in the room when this jutsu goes off. And I need you to make sure that no one can get here and interfere with anything, even if it's the ghost of Uchiha Madara himself." He paused a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself, and when he next spoke his voice was thick with emotion, "Goodbye." Then he was gone with a flash of golden light.

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The following day found the Council Chamber in an uproar. Sarutobi, garbed once more in the robes of the Hokage, sat at the head of the table. Barely a day into his second reign and he was already growing tired of the job once more. The object of the Council's debate was one Uzumaki Naruto, currently under the protection of Hatake Kakashi and two hand picked squads of ANBU. The council was embroiled in a bitter argument over his fate; whether to kill him, let him live, turn him into a weapon. It was a mess, and one that no amount of mere reason would be able to solve. Thankfully Jiraiya had arrived, even if he had yet to reveal his presence.

One of the retired Shinobi holding one of the council's elected seats was currently calling for Naruto's death, swinging a kunai down point-first into the table to accentuate his point. Jiraiya decided that it was time to make his presence known. He caught the kunai between two fingers, twirled it out of the councilor's grip and slammed it deep into the wood between the splayed fingers of the man's other hand before the he had even registered Jiraiya's presence. A deep crack ran from where the kunai was plunged into the wood to either end of the table. The people seated at the table all had to scramble away as a loud crack was heard. The table collapsed to the floor in pieces, and everyone present turned their eyes to Jiraiya. Say what you want about the old pervert, but he certainly knew how to make an entrance.

It was Danzo who broke the silence that descended upon the room. "What are you doing here Jiraiya? You don't hold a seat on this council."

Jiraiya almost laughed, finding the idea of the council not wanting the opinion of one of the Dentetsu no Sannin to be somewhat ludicrous. But that would ruin the intimidation he had taken care to instill so he kept his face impassive. "Maybe not. But you seem to have somehow gotten it into your head that the boy's future is yours to decide. However, since he was orphaned by the deaths of Minato and Kushina, and since no prior arrangements were made, custody falls to his godfather…which would just so happen to be me."

There was another round of stunned silence, this time broken by Koharu. "The boy is Minato's son, and you're his godfather? Bold claims Jiraiya, but can you prove them?"

Jiraiya smirked, reaching into his vest and withdrawing three scrolls. "Of course, what do you think took me so long?" He tossed the scrolls to Koharu, letting the advisor unroll and examine them. "That first scroll documents the marriage between one Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, kept secret for various reasons. The second scroll contains more than enough information to confirm that Naruto here is their child. The third is signed by both Minato and Kushina, naming me as the boy's godfather."

Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Regardless, as a Jinchuuriki the boy occupies a unique position. He has the potential to be a valuable asset to the village, or do great harm should he fall into the wrong hands. I do not think that it is unreasonable to allow the village to have a say in the boy's fate."

Jiraiya leaned forward, and the air suddenly felt heavier under the weight of restrained anger and violence. "There are two things you seem to be forgetting Danzo. The first being that any claim this village would have over Naruto would be a military one, meaning it falls solely under the discretion of the Hokage. The second is that if anyone tries to kill the boy, or turn him into a living weapon, or quite frankly do anything to him that I don't approve of…they'll have to go through me to do it." His eyes swept the room, lingering on the most outspoken of Naruto's detractors. They all averted their gaze hastily, unwilling to meet the Toad Sage's challenge. "That's what I thought."

Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Jiraiya is right of course, any claim the village could make on Naruto is of a military nature. And as such the final decision lies solely with me." He paused a bit, feeling the weight of Danzo's scowl. The old war hawk could undoubtedly guess Sarutobi's stance easily enough. "I have seen the seal Minato used to bind the Kyuubi, and it is sound. I understand that the Kyuubi's attack was a terrible tragedy, and that many of you likely hold grudges against the beast. But Naruto is not the Kyuubi, and is as much a victim of the attack as anybody else in this village.

He lost both his parents on the day of his birth. One died after childbirth because the hospital's resources were stretched too thin by the Kyuubi's rampage. The other sacrificed his life to stop the beast, sealing it into his own son. It was because of Naruto that the Kyuubi was defeated and this village saved. Not only has the boy lost his parents, but he's also been forced to bear a tremendous burden for the sake of his village. He's already been through more hardship than anybody should have to experience in their entire life." A brief clouded expression crossed Hiruzen's face as he briefly recalled Orochimaru's tests, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. Any of the onlookers would believe his reaction to be brought about merely by the hardships they knew about, he saw no need to tell them potentially inflammatory information that they didn't need to know. "The boy is a hero, even if many in this village are too blind to see it. To that effect I am instituting a new law, effective immediately.

While it is common knowledge amongst most of the village that Naruto now holds the Kyuubi the younger children do not know, and others born into Naruto's generation will remain similarly ignorant. I wish them to remain as such, so as to allow Naruto to live something resembling a normal life. No one is to reveal Naruto's burden to _anybody_ without explicit permission from the Hokage or the boy himself." His eyes hardened, and for a brief moment everybody in the room was reminded of exactly why Sarutobi had been, and still was, such a feared shinobi. "You don't want to find out what the consequences of breaking the law are." And with that, Sarutobi turned and left the room; leaving a speechless council, an approving Sannin, and the sleeping form of a babe destined to become one of the greatest heroes the Elemental Nations would ever know.

**Author's Note****: This is an idea I've had bouncing around in my head for a while, one of two actually. But I haven't yet been able to write what I consider a satisfactory beginning for my other little plot bunny. But that's beside the point. This story promises to be a lot of fun, and I hope you'll all like it as much as I think you will. But I can't exactly read your minds to figure it out, so be sure to leave a review and tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2: Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But if I did, oh the possibilities…**

Six years passed and Naruto grew from babe to boy. He grew up amongst the village's lingering resentment from his prisoner, whom he did not yet know he held. Sarutobi did his best to give Naruto a fair shot at life, outlawing all mention of Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki. Even so, it was known by much of the village. And their resentment carried down to the younger generation, even if the children didn't know the reason.

Still, he at least grew up safe. There was one assassination attempt when he was approximately two months old. The ANBU slaughtered the six would-be assassins before they even got within sight of Naruto. Afterwards, Sarutobi made sure that every last citizen in Konoha knew that the ANBU had violently prevented an assassination attempt on the boy, and that Naruto was under his personal protection. No one was stupid enough to make another attempt on the young jinchuuriki's life again after that.

So he grew up safe, if ostracized. Hatake Kakashi stopped by when he could, seeing his sensei in the boy. Though such visits were few and far between given his duties as an ANBU Captain. Jiraiya tended to stop by briefly during his sporadic visits to Konoha. Naruto also struck up quite a rapport with the owner of a ramen stand and his daughter. But those visits tended to be restricted to the times Naruto actually ate at the stand. But, admittedly, he did eat **much** more ramen than most.

Then there was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage. He took a keen interest in Naruto, for reasons he was reluctant to share with the boy. In fact, there were only a handful of people who actually knew the full truth behind his reasons. Although most assumed it was because of the Kyuubi, which was admittedly partially correct. Whatever the reason, Naruto certainly was happy to find spend time with the old man.

In fact, the boy was heading to see him at that very moment. He was currently running through the city streets, squirting between legs and scampering under obstacles with agility that was quite impressive for a child of his young age. It didn't take him long to reach the Hokage tower. And once he was inside he didn't even stop to listen to the receptionist before sprinting up the steps

The Sandaime heard the familiar protests of his secretary before the door burst open and the diminutive blonde streaked into his office. He wasted little time in leaping onto the Hokage's desk. And Sarutobi took a bit of guilty pleasure in seeing the stacks of paper on the desk go flying. Sure he'd eventually have to re-sort the papers and fill them out. But for now he had an excuse to put it off a bit. "So Naruto-kun, what brings you here today?"

The duo spent the next half hour together, something that had become a bit of a habit for the two. Sarutobi spent most of the time during these sessions to ask Naruto how his days were going. Not only was it because the wizened old man held a genuine interest in Naruto's life, but it was also a way for the Hokage to ensure that the boy was treated fairly. There were a couple of times when Naruto had mentioned in passing that an establishment within the village had inflated prices, kicked him out, or some similar offense. The owners of those shops inevitably found themselves talking with ANBU soon afterwards, and none of them repeated the offense.

Eventually, however, they reached the point where Sarutobi had to bid goodbye to Naruto in order to attend to his duties as Hokage. Naruto took the news with his usual cheer, just a hint of disappointment leaking into his expression. Then the boy hopped onto the desk, preparing to leap back down to the floor. However, he managed to firmly plant his foot on a piece of paper that had been lying on the desk. As he shifted his weight to leap the paper slid across the polished wood, throwing Naruto's foot out form under him and sending him into a tumble that Sarutobi knew would send him careening off the desk. So his hand snapped out to catch Naruto by the back of the shirt, only to come to a sudden halt as Naruto slapped his hand against the edge of the desk and steadied himself.

Sarutobi was confused for a brief moment. Naruto's reaction shouldn't have been fast enough to catch the edge of the desk, not with the angle of the fall. Then he realized how it had happened, even as the boy hopped down onto the floor. "Oops…sorry Ojii-san."

The Hokage gave the boy a kindly smile, "It's not a problem Naruto-kun. Here," he held a slip of paper out to the boy, "take this."

Naruto's eyes lit up as he snatched the piece of paper from the Hokage's hand. "Thanks Ojii-san, you're the best!" And with that the young boy scampered out of the room.

Sarutobi sat still for several moments, ensuring that Naruto was out of earshot. Then, "Mujina."

The ANBU member appeared kneeling in front of his desk a fraction of a second later. "Here, Hokage-sama."

"Relieve Inu, inform him that I would like to speak with him."

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

The ANBU member disappeared in a swirl of smoke and leaves, only a slight rustling of the curtains providing a clue as to the direction he'd taken. It only took a few seconds for Inu to show up, though he was much more relaxed than Mujina had been. The silver-haired ANBU captain was one of the few ANBU members comfortable enough around the Hokage not to adhere to the strict protocols the rest of the Black Ops did, and in this instance he opted to lounge casually on the couch. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes Kakashi, take a look at my desk."

The ANBU spent several moments looking at the desk from his prone position before rising to get a better look. He walked around it in a slow circle, his cyclopean gaze sweeping across the polished wood. Then it came to rest on the left edge desk, and Kakashi came to a sudden stop. "Was that-"

"Yes, Naruto's handiwork. He did it subconsciously, and left without realizing what he'd done."

"Amazing...for all his faults you can't deny that Orochimaru certainly knows what he's doing."

"Too true." Kakashi instantly regretted his words as Sarutobi lapsed into a painful silence for several long moments. Even after all these years, the wounds the snake had left upon his sensei were still fresh. Every day Sarutobi wondered what would have happened had he done things differently…had he done a better job with Orochimaru at a younger age, had he paid more attention to the man as a jounin instead of unintentionally granting him free reign to do as he pleased, if he'd had the strength to kill the traitor all those years ago instead of watching him run by. Even after half a century as a shinobi the mistakes he'd made with Orochimaru haunted Sarutobi more than anything in his legendary career. But it was the present that mattered, so Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped himself from his musings. "You know who to find I assume?"

"Yeah, I'm on it." And with that Kakashi blurred from sight as he sped out the window, headed for the dense forests surrounding Konoha. Sarutobi knew it would take a while for Kakashi to return, so he visited the vault located in the basement of the Hokage's Tower. He withdrew a folder before returning to his office, a scarce handful of seconds to spare before two ANBU appeared in his office. One was, of course, Kakashi. The other an ANBU wearing a tiger mask. "You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

"Yes Tenzo. Look at my desk, tell me what you notice."

It didn't take Tenzo long. "There's a two-inch wooden projection protruding from the left side of your desk. I've never seen it before."

"That's because it wasn't there before. It was created with Mokuton."

"Hokage-sama, I can assure you that I never-"

"Relax Tenzo, I know it wasn't you. It was created by Uzumaki Naruto."

Tenzo frowned, though the expression couldn't be discerned from behind the mask. "How can Naruto utilize Mokuton? He's descended from Minato, he has no relation to the Shodai."

"Neither do you, at least not naturally."

Tenzo's surprise was evident despite his mask. "Are you saying that Orochimaru performed the same experiments on Naruto as he did on me?"

"No, he went further." Sarutobi picked up the envelope, staring at it for several seconds before fixing his gaze on Tenzo. "The contents of this folder are an SS-Class secret. They document the experimentations Orochimaru performed on a pregnant Uzumaki Kushina. You are not to reveal them to anybody, including Naruto himself, without my express permission."

"I understand Hokage-Sama." Sarutobi paused for a second, then handed the folder over. Tenzo wasted little time in reading the contents, his surprise evident from his posture if not his masked face. "This is…are you sure that this is accurate?"

"The examinations and tests were run by Tsunade herself. I am confident that they are correct."

"This is…incredible." He raised his eyes, locking gazes with Sarutobi. "And you want me to teach him?"

"Yes, you're the only shinobi in this village who truly understands Mokuton." Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, blowing out another puff of tobacco smoke before continuing, "You're also an exemplary shinobi. Naruto has lived a difficult life and I believe he's reaching the point in it where he could use a source of guidance, more than I'm able to provide with my duties as a Hokage."

"I understand. Do you want me to approach him as a regular shinobi then?"

"Yes, change into your standard shinobi gear and find him. I'm sure you'll do well."

"Do you know where I'll be able to find him?"

A grin spread slowly across Sarutobi's features, "I have a pretty good idea."

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Naruto practically flew out of the Hokage's Tower, sprinting through the streets at breakneck speeds. The slip of paper he'd been given by the Hokage was clutched to his chest as though it were a priceless treasure. In truth…the priceless part wasn't too far off. The Hokage didn't give one of these to Naruto often; and until today only on special occasions, which left Naruto somewhat confused as to why he'd been given one now. The slip of paper was a voucher, a promise by the Hokage to pay for an all you can eat meal at Ichiraku's Ramen.

He reached the ramen stand, hopping up onto a stool and waving the voucher excitedly. "Teuchi-san, a Miso Ramen please!"

Teuchi accepted the voucher from Naruto, a kindly smile on his face as he turned to prepare the order. "Oh, the Hokage gave you one of these…what's the occasion?"

"I don't know, he just gave it to me. Kind of odd…but I'm not complaining!"

Teuchi chuckled, "When have you ever complained about free ramen?" Naruto could only shrug, the man had a good point. Teuchi had the ramen ready soon enough, placing it on the counter in front of Naruto. The boy dug in without hesitation, the ramen disappearing at an astonishing pace even as Teuchi turned to prepare the next order. The pattern held for quite a while, Naruto practically inhaling bowls of ramen as fast as Teuchi was able to place them in front of the boy.

Naruto didn't slow down in the least until the ninth bowl, and even then it was only due to the young man in shinobi gear sitting down next to him. Naruto may have been hyperactive and a bit flighty, but he was also smart and observant. He'd long ago noticed that for whatever reason many people in the village seemed to dislike him. He'd noticed that whenever he ate at Ichiraku's Ramen the booth seemed to empty, not filling again until after he left. And he'd noticed that at establishments such as this when strangers did eat at the same time as him they almost always left at least one empty stool as a buffer unless there wasn't enough room for them to do so. This new arrival had taken a seat on an adjacent stool, and Naruto was the only other customer present. Something was going on.

The man turned to face him, allowing Naruto a chance to take in his appearance. He was built fairly solidly, and looked like he couldn't have been much older than twenty or so. He had standard shinobi attire, dark eyes, brown hair; his most distinguishing feature was easily his hitaite with its two projections crawling down the side of his face. "Are you Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto grew even more nervous. Very few people paid much attention to him, and those were all people he knew fairly well. And when people did…there was generally an undercurrent of tension, of hostility beneath the surface. But here…here he sensed a genuine curiosity, even a bit of sympathy. This situation, it wasn't what he was used to. "Yeah, that's me."

The man offered a soft smile, extending a hand towards Naruto. "I'm Tenzo, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Naruto accepted the proffered handshake. "Umm…nice to meet you?"

Tenzo chuckled slightly. "No doubt you're wondering why I'm here." Naruto nodded slightly. Tenzo's grin took on a bit of amusement. "What do you think about this?" He ran through a few hand seals, gathering his chakra all the while. A wooden figure could be seen rising form the counter when he finished, forming itself into a miniature sculpture of Naruto.

Naruto's eyes lit up during the display, his voice coming as an awed murmur. "The Shodai's Mokuton….amazing."

"And if I were to tell you that you could do this too?"

"Impossible, I'm not related to the Shodai."

"Never speak in absolutes kid. I'm not related to him either."

"Then how did you-"

"Some things…should wait until you're older. But you can learn Mokuton, and I can teach you."

Naruto stood still for several moments, slightly in shock at what he was hearing. He'd had some basic training to this point. The Sandaime had gone out of his way to ensure that Naruto started some physical conditioning at a young age, as well as giving the boy some basic taijutsu scrolls and a few pointers. And every once in a while Jiraiya would stop by and check on him, often dropping off a few scrolls when he did. But this…what Tenzo was offering was far beyond any chance he'd received so far. So he did the first thing that came to mind, leaping off his barstool and catching Tenzo in a flying hug. The bemused man chuckled slightly, "I take it you agree then…"

"Whencanwebegin!"

Tenzo blinked for a few moments as he digested the rapid statement. "Umm…I can leave whenever you're ready. You'll need to pack for a trip though." And just like that Naruto was gone, sprinting through the streets on his way back to his apartment.

Tenzo watched the boy for a few seconds before turning back to the Ramen shop, noting the look he was getting from Teuchi. "Is there something you'd like to say?"

"Yes." His voice was dead serious as he looked Tenzo straight in the eye. "I'm not exactly sure why you have such a sudden interest in the boy. But he's lived a hard life because of the burden he carries, much harder than he deserves. He's the brightest, most innocent, purest soul I've ever met. And if you're planning on hurting him I swear-"

"Don't worry, Naruto and I have more in common than you could possibly imagine. I wouldn't dream of hurting him. Now if you'll excuse me, I should probably ensure that he packs everything he'll need." With that Tenzo nodded slightly in acknowledgement to the shopkeeper, then disappeared in a swirl of leaves and smoke.

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Tenzo didn't manage to catch up to Naruto until the boy was almost to his apartment. That elicited a bit of surprise from the ANBU member, he set a blistering pace by the standards of a six year old. Of course, given what he'd recently learned of the boy it wasn't quite as surprising as it could have been. And even more to the boy's credit was the fact that he didn't seem surprised by Tenzo's sudden appearance, seemingly indicating that he'd noticed the older man coming. Of course, it wasn't as though Tenzo been making any particular effort to conceal his presence. But then again, even what an ANBU did subconsciously was enough to escape the view of most without training in the shinobi arts. The boy had potential, that much was undeniable.

Naruto glanced up at his new sensei's arrival, "Tenzo-san…you followed me?"

"I wanted to make sure you packed well for this trip, I've been told it's your first time out of Konoha?"

"Yeah…but why do we need to take a trip anyway?"

Tenzo simply smiled wistfully, "You'll know when we get there. Now come on, let's get you packed." The older shinobi, however, simply stood back and watched as Naruto flitted about the apartment to gather everything he intended on bringing. And he had to admit that he was, once again impressed. He'd expected Naruto to pack like, well, a six year old; trying to bring as many useless things as he did ones he needed. Instead, Naruto packed very efficiently. He brought simple and reasonably sturdy clothing, a set of practice kunai and shuriken, food well suited to travel, physical training scrolls from far-off locales that simply had to have been dropped off by Jiraiya, survival gear, and overall put together a collection of items not that dissimilar from what Tenzo himself had packed.

Once Naruto was all packed and ready to go Tenzo led him out of the apartment complex and through the gates of the village. What followed was a walk of several hours through the woodlands that frustrated Naruto to no end. He bombarded Tenzo with a series of questions…virtually all of which regarded the upcoming training that he was about to receive. Tenzo, for his part, refused to answer any of them until after the two reached their destination. And when Naruto asked why simply replied that he'd understand after they arrived.

It was evening by the time Tenzo finally announced that they'd reached their destination. He placed one hand on Naruto's back, gently guiding him into a lush glade of trees. The young boy spent several seconds staring in wonder, the setting sun beautifully illuminating the exquisite landscape. And…something else. Something else he could feel, but that he couldn't quite describe.

Tenzo's voice came in a soft, reverent tone. "The Shodai's Grove. This is the place where Senju Hashirama mastered his Mokuton Techniques. And a place where he'd often go to think…about his duties to his village, duties to his clan, everything of importance. Can you feel it? This is a place where nature runs rampant, where any wielder of Mokuton can feel its strength. It is…a comforting presence, a calming one. This, Naruto, is where you will learn the Mokuton techniques first perfected by the Shodai Hokage. This, is where your training as a shinobi will truly begin."

"Amazing…" and then, abruptly, the quality of Naruto's voice changed. The soft, reverent awe gave way to obvious and unbridled excitement. "So what are you going to teach me first?"

Tenzo shot the kid a slightly surprised glance, "You want me to start now?"

"Yeah!"

"Aren't you forgetting anything?"

A puzzled frown spread across Naruto's otherwise exuberant features, "Like what?"

"Food, shelter, making sure the area is secure…" Tenzo had to suppress a chuckle at the look of sudden, dawning realization that spread across Naruto's face. It appeared that the kid could be rather single-minded at times.

"But you don't have a tent, what will we use for shelter?" A bit of a one track mind, he amended, but one that worked quickly and missed little.

"Patience, Naruto, follow me and I'll show you." With that Tenzo set off through the forest, weaving his way through the trees and underbrush along a path that had long ago become familiar to him. His destination was in sight about five minutes later, a moderately-sized and simply designed cottage near-seamlessly incorporated into small grove of trees growing beside a burbling stream. "This cottage was made by Senju Hashirama himself. It was his sanctuary, where he'd always come whenever he needed time away from the distractions of the village."

Tenzo stepped forward, opening the door as he led Naruto inside. The interior of the cottage was furnished and decorated with simple, yet masterfully crafted, pieces that had done an astounding job of resisting the ravages of time. Maybe the place was a bit dusty, a few colors a bit faded, but other than that it was in just as good of shape as it had been since the day of its construction.

Tenzo showed Naruto to the bedroom the boy would be using, as simply and functionally furnished as the rest of the building, before giving him time to unpack the possessions he had brought with him. While his charge was thus occupied he went to the room he had habitually stayed in since his first visit and unpacked his gear before going down to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two of them. Much to Naruto's chagrin it wasn't ramen. And much to Tenzo's chagrin he had to listen to the young blonde wax on and on about the merits of ramen throughout the entire course of the meal. It was almost enough to make him decide to start making more ramen…almost. But in the end it took more torture than even an endlessly talkative, inquisitive, and energetic six year old could produce to force an ANBU member to change his mind. After the meal was done he gave Naruto a bit of time to settle down and explore the area, before sending the kid to bed. A feat he only managed to achieve by telling him that he'd begin Naruto's training first thing in the morning after a good night's sleep.

It seemed to be quite the elegant solution, at least until 5 AM the following morning when Naruto jolted him awake from a sound sleep. Tenzo groaned as he woke up, shooing the blonde away as he climbed out of bed to get dressed. He left his room to find Naruto, predictably, waiting outside the door nearly bouncing with excitement. He managed to convince him to wait just long enough for the pair to eat breakfast, and pack a lunch, before exiting the cabin.

Only then did they finally set out. Tenzo lead Naruto down a path that wound its way through the woods. It was barely discernable through the underbrush, hardly used and with no markers along its length. But nonetheless it was there, a continuous swath of ground free from undergrowth that snaked through the trees. After about a quarter hour they reached a clearing in the forest. A roughly ovular area free of the trunks of trees and shaded by the boughs that arched overhead. Tenzo lowered himself to the ground, sitting cross-legged as he waited for Naruto to calm down. And it was only then, after Naruto settled down to listen, that Tenzo began.

"Mokuton," he intoned, "is one of the most well-known bloodlines of Konoha. And do in part to its long absence and history, possibly its most revered. It was wielded first, and most famously, by the Shodai Hokage of Konoha who was said to have used it to create every structure in the village with a single jutsu. But he did not pass the ability on to future generations. And since his death only two have ever been known to utilize Mokuton. Myself and, most recently, you. It's a powerful ability, one that allows you to grow wood at a rapid pace in any shape you desire. And even capable of subduing the great bijuu. But the greatest asset, is the versatility afforded through the use of such few hand signs. It is necessary to activate it of course, but once the jutsu is complete one must only hold the final seal to maintain his control of the wood he creates no matter how extensive it is.

"As with most kekkai genkai the use of Mokuton is largely instinctive, but that doesn't mean it's simple by any means. Both water and earth chakra must be mastered. And then the two must be combined, providing the raw materials the trees need to grow while you provide the guidance necessary to shape it as you need."

"Umm…chakra?"

Tenzo paused suddenly. For a minute there he'd forgotten that he was speaking to a young boy who was barely a novice in the ninja arts. "Chakra, a mixture of physical and spiritual energy used by shinobi for a variety of purposes; most famously ninjutsu."

"Oh! You mean that stuff you create with those cool hand signs you make?"

Tenzo sighed…this was going to be more trouble than he'd first thought.

**Authors Note: Phew…sorry for the long wait between chapters there. It was partially due to end of the year stuff for college (including finals), partially due to having to adapt to life at home once more, partially because my muse deserted me for a while, and perhaps a bit due to procrastination. But now I'm finding time to sit and right once more, and I have roughly 3.5 thousand words done for the next chapter of BotAC so that one shouldn't take much longer to churn out.**

**Several of you did, correctly, guess that Orochimaru gave Naruto the Mokuton. So an imaginary internet cookie to you all. But there is a bit more to the experimentations. After all, I wouldn't want things to be too predictable. How boring would life be then?**

**I also received a few reviews asking about the pairing for this story. I am planning on having one, though it is a bit of a ways into the future. I haven't decided who it will be with yet though. Another pairing with Yugito is definitely a possibility, as I still think there aren't nearly enough fics with her on this site. There's a chance it could be FemHaku as well, my second favorite pairing and also under-utilized. Or perhaps Fuu, the jinchuuriki of the seven-tailed rhinocerous beetle (that information was recently released by Kishimoto in an artbook). If you haven't realized yet…I kind of enjoy working with some of the rarer pairings.**

**One thing that is for certain though, is that the progression of the relationship will be more evident in this story. In BotAC a great deal happened during a period of time I skipped over, due largely to the circumstances of the story. In ****Culmination**** you'll get to read about when they first meet and onward. It's something I'm looking forward to writing now that I think I have a bit better grasp of the more emotional scenes. Well, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and that I haven't bored you too much with this not. So read, review, and eagerly await for the next chapter of ****Birth of the Araiki Clan****.**


	3. Chapter 3: Revelations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But if I did, oh the possibilities…**

**Author's Note****: At the beginning this time, a departure from my norm I know. But I always do seem to be told that variety is the spice of life. This chapter may seem a bit heavy on technical information, but I wanted to flesh out the way I think Mokuton works. And, by the way, the (limited) information I've given about plant physiology is all scientifically accurate; so you just might learn something. Funny, how this is the first use I've had for what I learned in that course. But I digress, here's to hoping you enjoy this latest installment.**

All told, Tenzo mused, Naruto had learned remarkably quickly. It took Naruto a mere month to learn how to mold chakra, two more to bring his control to a high enough level to begin thinking about elemental manipulation. From there it took him five weeks to learn earth manipulation. And using the lessons learned from that was able to manipulate water chakra in another three. In short, it took Naruto five months to go from learning how to mold chakra to being ready to start learning how to consciously call upon Mokuton. He'd done it much more quickly than Tenzo had.

Of course, Tenzo hadn't had a jounin-level ninja working almost exclusively with him over the course of that period. Nor had the experiments performed on him been quite so…extensive. But even so, remarkable. Those months had been spent bouncing back and forth between the Shodai's Grove and Konohagakure. It was a bit too long of a time period to spend exclusively at the grove. But the solitude and conditions it provided for training, especially training in anything that had to do with nature, was quite simply unmatched. So he always took Naruto there when starting to teach him something new, and stayed there long enough for the boy to get a grasp of it before returning to Konohagakure to polish the skill.

They were currently back in the grove, seated in a small clearing bisected by babbling creek. It was time for Naruto to learn how to wield his birthright. "Mokuton is one of the most revered abilities of Konohagakure, formed by the combination of earth and water chakra. In that respect at least, it's similar to quite a few bloodlines, there are several of them that function by combining two different elements. But once you get past that it's much different. Different than most kekkai genkai, different than most jutsu.

"Usually a shinobi uses chakra to create what they need. It can be sculpted into blasts of fire, wind, and lightning. Even water jutsu, famous for needing a water source, use chakra to create water. Though most need an outside source to help stabilize and maintain it. But with Mokuton you don't create wood, you grow it. Water chakra provides the water the plants need, earth chakra the nutrients, and regular chakra the energy. Once you provide those the plant can grow, and your will can be used to direct that growth to suit your needs."

"How do I combine the different types of chakra?"

"The water chakra soaks into the earth chakra; much like actual water does to actual earth. And the traces of standard chakra remaining infuse them both and push them along. When you figure out how to do that, perform these hand seals," Tenzo performed them slowly for Naruto's benefit, "and let a small amount of the chakra combination trickle into that sapling in front of you. And be sure to hold the final seal or your connection with the tree will break."

So Naruto sat, and meditated, and waited. It turned out to be a lot more difficult than he'd anticipated. The first thing he tried was to create one type of chakra, hold it in reserve, and then create the other. But he remained completely incapable of maintaining a store of water chakra while molding earth chakra and vice versa. Then he remembered one of the demonstrations Tenzo had given him. He distinctly remembered his sensei mentioning something about earth on the right and water on the left. Or maybe it was vice versa…though he supposed it shouldn't really matter too much.

So there he sat, doing his best to simultaneously mold a different type of elemental chakra in either hand. It was a feat most shinobi would have had a great deal of difficulty with, were they even able to manage. And, of course, combining the two elements would have been all but impossible. But with Naruto it was a bloodline. And one thing bloodlines tended to have in common is a semi-instinctive quality. He'd already used it subconsciously, so it was only a matter of time until his sustained and concentrated effort was capable of the same effect. And by the end of the day he managed it, gathering one type of chakra in each hand as he finally merged them together. Then he performed the seals Tenzo had demonstrated. As the final seal was completed and held he pushed at it with his regular chakra, pressing it forward and spreading it into the sapling in front of him.

He could feel his chakra spreading through the wood, and in his mind he could sense the tree. His chakra permeated it; highlighting every twist in the grain, every branch and every shoot. A complete mental image was constructed, feeding the young boy an astounding and dizzying array of data as he obtained a three dimensional structural image of the sapling. And scattered throughout the tree were these…what he could best comprehend as bright spots. At the base of each branch and leaf, at the end of each shoot of growth, the tip of each root. "Wow," he murmured, "it's amazing. And there all those…those…"

"Points of light?"

"Yeah…"

"Those are meristems, the growth centers of plants. They contain what are called pluripotent cells; capable of changing into leaf cells, the cells in the trunk of the tree, root cells, any cell you'll find in the plant. And since they're necessary for a plant's growth the tree leaves them at the tip of each growth as well as wherever there is a branch in growth. The base of every branch and leaf; the tip of every trunk, branch, and root will have a meristem. And they're also what you'll need to use Mokuton. Eventually it will be possible for you to undifferentiate other groups of cells back into meristems, and even use your own body as a source of them. But for now, you'll have to use what the tree gives you. Now, focus your chakra into one of the meristems, then push it back out in a cylinder protruding out from the tree."

Naruto's brow furrowed slightly in concentration as he did what Tenzo had told him to do. The meristem he'd chosen began to glow more brightly as he poured in his chakra into it. Then he pressed it out, a perfect cylinder forming in his mind and extending from the tree. He let it grow for several inches before snapping open his eyes, eagerly looking to see what he had wrought.

His face fell as he saw it. The cylinder wasn't nearly as perfect as it had been in his mind's eye. It was crooked, width varying greatly as it gradually tapered to a hooked point. And it seemed to be composed of some twisted and fused amalgam of bark, leaves, and actual wood. "It's…it's…"

"Don't worry about it. For a first attempt that's actually pretty good. It'll take a bit of practice until you're able to get the wood to grow exactly as you want it to. And the reason the growth is composed of so many different types of the plant, well, that's partially my fault because I forgot to tell you something. When your chakra was in the plant you noticed how it felt different in the different plant tissues right? Wood, bark, roots, leaves…"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah."

"When using your Mokuton to grow more plant material you have to give your chakra the type of feel that corresponds with the type of material you want to grow. If you don't, well," he motioned towards Naruto's first conscious attempt at using his bloodline, "That will happen. And even when you're consciously choosing the tissues to grow it will take a great deal of practice until you're able to make uniform growths."

But even as the words left his mouth Tenzo saw Naruto's eyes narrow, the boy almost seeming to take that last statement as a challenge. His eyes screwed themselves shut immediately as his hands flashed through the seals again, quicker and more assuredly than they had the last time. Tenzo suppressed a chuckle as more new growths began sprouting from the sapling. The boy was as determined as anyone he'd ever seen. But then, he could hardly consider that to be surprising.

Tenzo sat patiently in the clearing, letting Naruto exert himself feverishly as he continuously worked on and improved his Mokuton technique. The sapling he'd started working with now resembled an organic pin cushion as much as anything else. Tapering columns of woody growth shot out of it at all angles until it scarcely even resembled a living tree anymore. He'd eventually had to abandon the sapling, having used up all its meristems and not yet knowing how to create new ones. So he'd moved on to the ring of trees circling the clearing.

But the most notable feature, was that an observer could fairly easily tell what portion of the ring Naruto had started with. The growth there was similarly messy to those on the sapling. But as one moved clockwise around the clearing a noted improvement could be observed. The growths were more of a uniform, tapering width. And they went from a bizarre mix of various plant tissues to something much more orthodox. Gone were the chaotic twists of wood, bark, and leaves. They were now all primarily wood. To be certain he hadn't mastered it yet. But now it was just an occasional leafy section, or perhaps an area where a root could be seen twisting around Naruto's impromptu branches.

Tenzo's appraising eye swept across all the new growth, his trained gaze noting all the details at a glance as they usually did. "You're doing pretty well so far. Figuring out how to successfully combine and manipulate the different types of chakra is usually the most challenging part of learning Mokuton and you're taking to it more quickly than I did. With a little more practice you should be able to make growths of uniform tissue in whatever shape you want. After that, it's just a matter of working on speed, strategy, and technique."

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And so for the next year Tenzo worked Naruto through a wide variety of training exercises, designed to improve both the boy's basic shinobi skills and his proficiency with Mokuton. At first it was simply growing trees, giving him practice until he could sculpt them into a shape indistinguishable from that of a naturally grown tree. Then came sculptures. He grew carvings of faces, miniature buildings, life-sized statues, objects of all shapes and sizes. Then came the exercises to work on the speed of his mokuton techniques. He grew shields to block projectiles thrown at him by Tenzo, grew branches to catch him as he fell from the tops of trees. Over time the practices grew more advanced; Naruto growing shields with engraved images, or arresting his falls with chairs instead of branches.

What Naruto was currently doing, however, had to be the most annoying exercise Tenzo had come up with by far. All of the other training methods his sensei had devised had an easily discernable practical application. From growing wooden shields, to using swiftly grown branches to attack his foe, to growing screens of camouflage to escape notice. But this, growing blankets, how was this going to help him? He didn't see the point, and wasn't at all reluctant to share that viewpoint with Tenzo…often.

And so did Tenzo step up to defend his mode of instruction, eventually. If he had to listen to the kid whine the young blonde could at least have to stew in his own frustration for a while. "The purpose of this exercise is to hone your technique, give you a feather's touch. It's true that Mokuton often consists of rather blunt and straightforward techniques; most attacks that utilize earth chakra are like that. But there are times when you need to be more subtle with it. And this exercise teaches that. You're not working with large blocks of wood, but instead growing tiny fibers. You have to keep them uniform, smooth, soft. And as you're growing them you have to twist them to form thread, weave the thread to form cloth. True, you're not likely to ever need to do this, but you probably will need the control it imparts. It may very well save your life some day."

Naruto remained silent for several moments before responding, even sounding a bit apologetic as he did. "Oh…now I understand…"

"And…there's one more reason why I've chosen this training exercise, the most important of them all."

_That_ got Naruto's attention, "What is it!?"

"I need some new sheets." Tenzo ducked as soon as the words left his mouth, just in time to avoid the wad of crumpled blankets that flew over his head.

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Another couple of months passed in similar fashion, with Naruto becoming decently well-versed in a variety of ninja arts. The time was fast approaching where Naruto would be entering the Ninja Academy, and that the time Tenzo was able to spend training the boy would be drastically reduced. Even so, the training he had been able to give the boy would leave him in good stead. He'd probably be able to go toe to toe with any of the clan members that would be in his class, benefitees of the training provided by their clans that many other shinobi didn't have access too. And his work with Mokuton would likely put him well ahead of even those illustrious peers when it came to ninjutsu. Still, there was one last thing he wanted to teach Naruto while he still had an abundance of time with the boy, how to grow wood from his own body as opposed to being reliant on nearby plants.

This was more difficult than simply tapping the growth potential of plants, and the reason why was fairly obvious. One didn't have those plants to work with for a starting material. Instead it was necessary to go from animal cells to plant cells, no mean feat and one that in all the natural world was only possible through the use of Mokuton; at least as far as Tenzo knew.

He had brought Naruto back to the Shodai's grove for this, both of them sitting cross-legged in the clearing where Tenzo had first instructed Naruto in Mokuton techniques. "Now the trick to using yourself as the source of Mokuton techniques is to obtain the plant cells. Once you get the pluripotent cells, it's no different than regular Mokuton techniques.

"The cells of your body are constantly undergoing division, replicating themselves to help a person grow and heal. Now normally, the human cells that make up your body will reproduce to make more cells that are just like them. But, if you infuse a cell with enough of the chakra you utilize for your Mokuton techniques you can cause one to divide and form a pluripotent plant cell. Once you have that you can make more pluripotent cells, and then produce wood as usual. Just remember, it'll be anchored to your body so don't do anything that'll throw you off balance too much. And once it's time to disconnect you can infuse the wood cells with normal chakra and cause some of them to divide and form regular human cells. It lets you pinch off the wooden growth, so to speak."

"That sounds…complicated."

"I know it does. But kekkai genkai are largely instinctive. It's going to take you a bit of practice to get it down, but once you get used to the technique it won't be so bad. Now, the first step is to practice infusing cells throughout your body with Mokuton chakra. It'll be easiest to do with your hands, so start there."

And so Naruto began by doing his best to infuse his hands with Mokuton chakra; closely followed by his wrists, forearms, upper arms, and more of his body as the young blonde practiced by progressively channeling the chakra to cells further and further from his hands. Tenzo kept one hand on the boy's forehead throughout much of the training, using his own abilities with Mokuton to keep track of the boy's progress. And it was as Naruto was working his way down his torso that he cursed himself for overlooking something that he really, really should have anticipated.

But he hadn't, and so was he caught flat-footed by Naruto's question. "Hey, why is this weird chakra leaking out from my stomach?"

That got Tenzo's attention. "Weird chakra?"

"Yeah, it almost feels as though it's angry or something. I don't know how to describe it." Naruto's blue eyes looked up, locking with Tenzo's and for just an instant saw the flash of recognition within the older man's darker gaze. "You know! What is it?"

Were Tenzo not currently in the presence of a seven-year-old he'd have sworn aloud. He should have been able to conceal his emotions from one so young, and should have taken greater care to given the circumstances. But the Kyuubi no Kitsune always had been a subject that brought forth the emotions of those who had survived its rampage, and he'd let himself get careless. And now that Naruto knew that Tenzo had the answer to his question he'd never rest until it was divulged. Something made just a bit complicated by the Sandaime's law on the matter. He heaved a deep sigh, and readied himself against the outburst that he knew was soon to come. "I can't tell you that."

The look on Naruto's face changed instantly; going from one of curiosity to anger, determination, and just a hint of betrayal. "What! Why not? It's about me isn't it? Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I am a shinobi, and you are fast becoming one. I take no pleasure in hiding anything from you. But we live in a world filled with intrigue and secrets, and I know of many things that I cannot share with you. The presence of that chakra touches upon one such secret. If you want to learn more about it, we will have to speak with the Hokage." He was going to say more, but Naruto was gone almost before the word "Hokage" left his mouth. Tenzo groaned in exasperation as he formed a hasty Moku Bunshin to swing by the cabin and grab their gear. Impatience was one thing he'd been unable to break Naruto of by this point. He created one additional Moku Bunshin as well. It would have to circle around a ways to make sure Naruto didn't spot it, but both Tenzo and his clones were a great deal faster than the young blonde. It would be able to beat Naruto to Konoha. This was something that the Hokage would probably appreciate a bit of a heads up about.

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Tenzo's clone did arrive in Konoha long before Naruto did, giving the aged Hokage plenty of time to rearrange some appointments and clear his schedule. In short, to make sure he wouldn't be disturbed while speaking with Naruto. Given the topic of the upcoming discussion he owed the boy that much at least. Tenzo, the real one, actually arrived first. He'd jetted ahead of Naruto once they entered the village and the boy's safety was assured. It stood to reason that the Hokage would appreciate the opportunity, however brief, to speak with him before Naruto's arrival. The Hokage heaved a sigh of his own, using the seals carved along the interior of his pipe to ignite the tobacco within. "So he figured it out."

"Not much of it. I had him working on growing wood using his body as a source, forcing him to infuse his cells with the chakra needed to utilize Mokuton jutsu. He was able to sense what I can only assume is the Kyuubi's chakra. I should have anticipated it. I've been able to sense demonic chakra fairly easily throughout my life, and the Shodai was too according to the writings he left behind. It has to be connected to the use of Mokuton and I should-"

"Enough Tenzo, you don't have to blame yourself for this. I knew firsthand from Hashirama-sensei how easily he could sense bijuu and I didn't anticipate this situation either. None of us have had extensive dealings with Jinchuuriki, and Naruto's the first Jinchuuriki ever to wield Mokuton. This may be the first of many such surprises we'll get from him."

Naruto arrived a few minutes later, and per Hiruzen's orders was ushered straight up to his office. The boy entered without the bounce and exuberance he usually portrayed upon entering this office. His stride was purposeful, eyes hard and clear. They boy had had some time to stew on the return trip to Konoha, and he clearly wanted answers. "Why does Tenzo-sensei have to keep something about me a secret from me?"

"Because I passed a law that forbade the entire village from speaking of it. Naruto, know that I'd never conceal something from you out of malice. What I did was to protect you; there are far too many dangerous secrets in this world. And while I will answer what questions you have about your discovery there are other secrets that I must still keep from you. A Hokage rarely has the luxury of making easy decisions."

Naruto seemed slightly taken aback by the answer, that the secret was to protect him apparently not a possibility he'd considered. "I…guess I can accept that."

Sarutobi hid the signs of relief from his face as he continued to gaze at the young blonde. "Good. Now, can you give me a basic summary of the abilities of Mokuton?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly, "What does that have to do with this?"

"You'll know soon enough."

"Fine; Mokuton allows its wielder to combine water and earth chakra to accelerate and control the growth of plant materials, also allowing such materials to be grown from the wielder's body. Additionally the Shodai Hokage was able to use it to exert influence and control over the nine bijuu, suppressing their power almost completely if necessary."

"Yes, and even Hashirama-sensei himself was unable to completely explain how that last ability worked. He theorized that it allowed him to "filter" the bijuus' demonic chakra, much the same way that plants are able to filter the air they breathe and even the water they use." Sarutobi paused for a second, steeling himself, "He also found that he was able to detect demonic chakra much more easily than other shinobi, even those whose chakra-sensing ability was on par with his own."

Sarutobi could practically see the gears turning in Naruto's head. He'd had plenty of opportunities to observe the boy's intelligence over the years, as had Tenzo. Both of them knew that Naruto now had the information he needed to answer this question. "I-it's demonic chakra that I sensed…"

"Yes."

"And it's coming from me."

"Yes."

"So I must hold one…the Kyuubi attack when I was born…the Yondaime didn't kill it."

"He couldn't kill it. The Kyuubi, all the bijuu, are beings of living chakra. It's unknown if they even can be killed, and there's certainly not a shinobi who's ever lived that has been known to be able to do so. The only way he could stop it was to seal it into a human being, and it had to be a newborn. Since your chakra coils weren't fully-developed they were able to adapt to the sudden presence of demonic chakra. Had he tried to seal the beast into anyone older, they would have been killed and the Kyuubi released once more."

Naruto sat silently for several long moments, seemingly processing the information before speaking again. "Why did he choose me?"

"There weren't many children born that day. And it was already known that you'd be able to utilize Mokuton, which certainly factored into the decision due to its ability to suppress bijuu. There may be more reasons that I do not know, and there are more that I cannot tell you about. Like I said before, there are some secrets that I must still keep."

"And it's the reason why so many people I've never met seem to dislike me."

"Yes, the Kyuubi attack was a catastrophic event. And there are all too many in the village who turned out to be willing to make you a scapegoat for it. To make matters worse their dislike towards you has been picked up on and perpetuated by many of their children, even if they don't know the cause for it. But it is completely undeserved. You're a kind young boy, with seemingly unlimited potential and not a trace of the Kyuubi's malice. I'm sure that you'll be able to show that to the rest of the village."

But even with the comforting words it was easy to see that Naruto was taking the news a bit hard. It was scarcely surprising; Sarutobi knew many veteran shinobi who may well take the news much less calmly than Naruto was now. Even so, he hated to see the usually exuberant child this depressed. Thankfully he was still just that, a child, and thus prone to rapid mood swings when presented with exciting news. "On an unrelated note, a new year of classes will be beginning at the Konoha Ninja Academy a month for now and I have enrolled you in one of them."

Naruto's gaze snapped up to the Hokage, and his expression almost instantly brightened. To be certain pangs of more negative emotions concerning the recent Kyuubi revelation still lingered in the depths of his brilliant gaze, but hopefully the more positive news would prevent the boy from dwelling on it too much. "Really!?"

"Yes, children enroll in the academy when they will turn eight in the upcoming school year. And the training you've undergone with Tenzo should allow you to compare favorably with your peers. You will need to undergo a physical before the semester begins. I've arranged so that you can go and take it now."

"Thanks…I think I'll, go get that taken care of now." He turned and headed back to the door, and neither of the elder shinobi in the room failed to notice that the typical bounce was gone from his gait.

Tenzo breathed a sigh of relief after Naruto left, leaning back against the wall of the room. "Well, that went a bit better than I thought it would."

"His composure is commendable, and natural proclivity isn't the only reason why. You're training has done the boy a great service."

"But he just learned that he has a burden no one should have to bear. How do you think he'll handle it?"

"He's been ostracized by a great deal of people most of his life, and displayed extraordinary resilience despite that. It's no surprise that he's taking this news a little hard, but I doubt he's going to get too depressed over this. Just in case though, keep an eye on him. There are few enough adults in this village who've given him cause to trust them."

"You don't even need to ask."

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True to the Hokage's word Naruto found him himself brought to an examination room almost as soon as he arrived at the hospital. It didn't take long for the medic administering the physical to arrive either. Though he wasn't exactly what Naruto had expected. And, being Naruto, he didn't hesitate to express what he was feeling. "Aren't you too young to be a doctor?"

He heard a soft chuckle in reply. "Don't worry Naruto-kun; I can assure you that I'm fully qualified to give you a physical. I'm the son of the head of Konoha's Medical Corp, Yakushi Kabuto."


End file.
